It Doesn't Hurt To Be Comforted
by allydog509
Summary: When the crew has nightmares, Luffy always knows how to comfort them. Maybe they can comfort him, too. (Set of related short stories.)
1. Chapter 1

_It Doesn't Hurt To Be Comforted_

Chapter 1: _Brook, The Humming Swordsman_

"They weren't real", he asked, distraught. That couldn't be. It couldn't be true. His new friends couldn't just be fictional characters. They couldn't be!

He sobbed. Brook didn't want all of his new friends to be a dream. He wanted off of his old ship, a new chance to see Laboon. To keep his promise. A chance to start over, but still remember. He wanted OFF. This ship, which used to be his home, has become his cage. His tormentor. If he still had tearducts, he knew he would be crying in anguish.

He wanted, so badly, to not be alone any longer. But, here he was, on his ship, missing both his new and old friends.

He was... _alone._

Brook awoke with a start. If he still had a heart, it would've been pounding harshly in his chest. He almost felt the need to vomit. Instead, he quietly walked out of the boys' cabin and onto the deck, shivering. He loathed nights like this one. Nights where, no matter what he did, he felt like he was alone. Like he was back on his old ship after everyone was already dust and bones. That was something he wouldn't wish on anyone, not even his worst enemy. He hung his head low, face in his hands.

A soft squeak came from behind. A door had opened and he heard footsteps walking towards him. His feeling of loneliness diminished a bit as his new captain sat next to him.

"Luffy-san", Brook started. Luffy looked at him and smiled. Brook settled for that and stayed quiet. It... it was nice to have someone sit next to him again.

Brook felt tears start up. Not tears of loneliness, but happiness. Luffy must've noticed as he laid against Brook and fell asleep shortly after, a smile on his face.

Walking out to two of their crewmates on deck in the morning wasn't very shocking, but to see them both sleeping soundly against the railing, smiling, was quite a nice surprise. The rest of the Strawhats left the two sleep, seeing that it must've been a long night.

 **Hi, sorry that this isn't ABSTC (A Bleached Space-Time Continuum). I wanted to do some short stories to get me back into writing again as it's been a little bit since I've done any stories. These are all gonna be short and there should only be 9 or 10 of them. They're fairly simple to write, but it'll be a week between each post (depending on if I have the free time. If not, it'll be posted soon after the set date). The date the next chapter will, hopefully, be up on is June 9th.**

 **Hope you guys enjoy these small things! Have a nice week! ^u^**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: _Cyborg Franky_

Tom was right there. He was _right there!_

How could Cutty let his creations break Tom and his small family apart?! How could he?!

He felt the tears well up as he stood in front of the train, remembering all the nice things Tom had done for him. All the things Tom had taught him.

 _"Where are you going with your creator, sea-train? Give back Tom-san",_ he yelled at the train before it slammed into him, sending him flying. He failed... he failed to save Tom. He failed at keeping his only family together. He _failed._

Cutty cried out, his beaten body shivering in pain and misery. How could he let such a thing happen? Why did he have to make those abominations? Why did they take Tom from them? It was Cutty's fault. He knew it. Cutty created those ships. Those _things!_ It wasn't right for them to take Tom when it was _his fau_ _lt._

Franky awoke, tear tracks running down his face. Another one of those nights? He sighed. Of course. No sleep for tonight then.

Getting up, he walked out onto the deck and leaned against the front rails. It was nice to get out of the stuffy room sometimes. Franky took a deep breath and put his face into his large arms as he leaned further against the rail.

Franky heard a small pound against the ground, but didn't look up to see who it was. As he heard the steps come closer, he remembered Luffy was the one on watch tonight. Well, it never hurt to have a bit of company, he supposed.

"Hey Franky", Luffy said with a smile and a wave. Franky tried to give him a happier smile, but it wasn't really happy looking so much as it was guilty and sad. Luffy noticed _(of course he did, he always notices his friends emotions)_ and sobered his happy expression a bit. He sat next to Franky, leaning his back against the rails.

It was quiet for sometime before Luffy spoke again. "It's not your fault, Franky", he said, being both serious and honest. Franky looked at him, slightly surprised and then gave a small smile towards his rubbery captain.

"But it is. I couldn't save him. I made the very things that had him tossed in prison", he admitted, forlornly. He didn't really know why he was telling his captain these things, but, with Luffy, it wouldn't hurt to open up and tell him about everything. Luffy wouldn't see you any differently, because the past was the past. It already happened, there's no changing that. He only cares about the present. The person he sees at that very moment. Franky smiled at that. Luffy is definitely one of a kind.

"You didn't put him in prison, so how is it your fault", he asked, not in any other way besides plain curiosity. He, honestly, wanted to know how it could've been his fault if he hadn't been the one to imprison Tom.

"I made the ships that were used against him."

"You made them, but were you the one who used them", another honest question. His captain sure knew how to get to the point, but still be simple with it. Well, Franky supposed, his captain wasn't so simple-minded if he could tell what was wrong so easily.

"No", he answered. "I'm the one who made them, though. I'm responsible for-"

"Nah."

"What?"

"You aren't responsible for what someone else did, Franky!" Luffy smiled at him. "You made the ships, but you didn't put him in jail or hurt him. It wasn't your fault!" Franky looked at his small captain, surprised that Luffy would... No, he shouldn't be surprised. Of course Luffy, of all people, would be able to figure these things out. They're nakama, after all, it shouldn't be surprising that he'd find a way to make Franky feel a bit better.

Franky started crying a bit. Not his normal, obnoxious crying to something "SUPER" sweet or sad, just silent and happy. His tiny captain sure knew how to get his crew to feel better. He couldn't have asked for a better man to follow.

Hearing snores coming from said captain, Franky smiled and sat next to him, comforted by Luffy's presence. He was soon lulled to a peaceful sleep by the soft sounds coming from the sea and Luffy.

 _ **Hey**_ _ **guys!**_ _ **Second**_ _ **one's**_ _ **finally**_ _ **up! I hope you enjoy it! ^u^**_

 _ **Alsheon: Thank you so much! I'm glad it could make you feel, well, anything! I always worry about whether or not my readers can connect with the story, so thank you!**_

 _ **Alela04: Thank you! I hope that this is a good chapter as well! And, don't worry, your english is better than a lot of people's, who's native language is english. Just keep practicing and you'll get even better!**_

 _ **Hope**_ _ **you**_ _ **guys have a**_ _**great**_ _ **week! ^u^**_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: _The Devil's Child, Nico Robin_

Fire danced across her face as she ran. Everything was burning. Even the Tree of Knowledge where the professors stayed. She cried out for her mother. For Saul. Professor Clover. Someone, anyone who would stand to be by her in such terrible times. Someone to comfort her and tell her it would all be alright.

She cried. Whether it was from pain or from sorrow, she couldn't tell anymore. It all started to blur and she just wanted it to be over.

Her mother was shot and left in the flames. Saul was frozen. All of the professors were shot and burned. She didn't know where to turn. Aokiji sent her adrift in a small boat and she cried harder. Her home was burning at the hands of the merciless marines. Why? Why would they do this to her home? To all she ever knew? They only wanted to learn about their past. The Void Century.

What was so wrong about wanting to learn?! What gave them the right to destroy islands?! Why did they do this?! Why?! _Why?_

And "why" was all she had left by morning. No one else survived. She was _alone._ An empty feeling blossomed in the pit of her stomach and she didn't know what to do. All she could do now was survive, if only for the sake of Saul and her mother's wishes. If only for the sake of their dream. She huddled into the corner of the small boat, wanting nothing more than to go home and finally be with her mother and have fun with Saul again.

Robin quietly woke up. She sighed and decided to go up to the deck. Reading might help, she thought. She soon realized that she wouldn't be able to concentrate on her book as her nightmare kept leaping back to the forefront of her mind. She was fairly disappointed, but decided to just try and relax in the cool night air. Nami had said it would be storming tomorrow afternoon, so why not get some fresh air while you can, she figured.

Hearing a slight squeak, she was greeted with her young captain's bright smile. She smiled back, softly, glad to have someone nearby. Luffy sat down next to her chair, relaxing with her in the open air. She idly wondered what was going through his mind at that moment, but pushed the thought to the back. She'd never figure out that mystery. Her captain was an enigma to practically everyone. Very simple and straightforward one moment then serious and complex the next. She smiled at that. Luffy was definitely a strange man.

She sat back in her chair a bit, relaxing in Luffy's company. He seemed content to just sit in silence with the archeologist. She didn't mind. She quite enjoyed it, actually. Soon, she fell into a peaceful slumber to the waves, not noticing the soft smile on Luffy's face as her eyes slid shut.

 _ **Ah, I like this one. Second to Luffy's, tbh. Though, his'll come later and you'll see why I enjoy it so much, hopefully. Anywho, I hope you guys enjoyed this one as much as I did!**_

 ** _Well, I only have two chapters left to write in total (next week's might come a bit late as that's one of the two), so I decided to put this one up a bit early, because I'm SUUUUPER~ excited! (Did ya get the pun? I hope so! If not, it was Franky's "SUUUUPER~" catchphrase. XD)_**

 ** _Meiyo12: I'm glad you think so! ^u^_**

 ** _Hope you guys have a great week! Thanks for reading! ^u^_**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: _The Cotton-Candy Lover, Tony Tony Chopper_

He was left in the back of his herd, always on the verge of starvation as his peers cleared whatever vegetation was left. His nose stood out too much. He was defective in their eyes.

A shot rang out and blood poured down his shoulder. Another, it missed, but it still scared the poor reindeer hybrid.

 _"Monster!" "Leave, Monster!" "Hide the kids!" "Momma, I'm scared." "Sta_ y _away! Stay away!"_

Rejection was all the young reindeer knew. He wanted to be loved and accepted. He didn't want to be alone anymore. Being alone scared him.

A strange old man helped him. He called himself "Hiruluk" and he treated the reindeer with love and compassion. He accepted him and gave him a name, "Tony Tony Chopper". Chopper was so happy he could cry!

And cry he did. For the wrong reasons. Hiruluk was poisoned, by Chopper's hoof no less. He just wanted to help the sick doctor, but he poisoned him! Those people had every right to push him away, he thought. He only hurt people.

Why wasn't Doctor angry with him? Chopper poisoned him. Why wasn't he angry?

 _"I could never be angry at my son", he remembered those words. He cried._

An explosion went off. Doctor didn't want his blood on Chopper's hands, so he took his own life instead.

 **"DOCTOORRRR",** Chopper cried as the hat Hiruluk always wore fluttered in the wind.

Chopper woke up, suddenly feelingly lonely and sad. Tears were stained onto his light brown fur coat, he noted and wiped his eyes on his arm. Chopper sniffled and got of bed, not wanting to sleep again.

Doctor was always so nice to him, even when Chopper messed up he still loved and cared for him. He was the first person to ever love Chopper. He was like a father to Chopper.

He left the room and went to the infirmary, checking on the herbs since he couldn't sleep. He walked around the room, remembering when he first became a member of the crew. He was really shy back then. Not that he isn't shy still, but that he has an easier time with people now, since he joined the crew. He remembered how Luffy saved Doctor's flag and how he chased him around the castle to get him to join. When he thinks back on it, he realizes that, had Luffy never gotten him to join, he'd still be the scared, lonely reindeer, who lived atop the Drum Rockies. Chopper smiled, glad that Luffy got him to join the crew.

Luffy walked in, looking for Chopper. He was missing from the men's room, though Luffy knew where he was. He decided to join Chopper in the infirmary, just to keep the little reindeer some company. Not that Chopper was complaining.

Chopper smiled at his rubbery captain, who grinned right back. The two sat on one of the beds, just relaxing in each other's company. Chopper smiled as he fell back asleep, his captain not far behind.

 _ **I had a bit of trouble with the ending for this one (Zoro's was so much harder to write, though), but I hope you guys still enjoy!**_

 ** _Thank you guys for all the reviews, favorites, and follows! It really means a lot to me and I'd thank every last one of you personally if I could! Thank you so much!_**

 ** _Otaku1ife: Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it! And that can be very true! ^u^_**

 ** _Meiyo12: I'm glad you did! I hope you love this one, too! ^u^_**

 ** _One thing before I go; I've been having a poll up for some time now, but I figured I'd ask if you guys would like to vote for which story I should finish making next anyway. So, whatcha say? Are you interested in a voting for a certain story that you'd like to read from me? If so, the poll will be there until this story is finished._**

 ** _Thanks!_**

 ** _I hope you guys enjoy and have a nice week! ^u^_**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: _Black-Leg Sanji_

They were starving. The old geezer and Sanji. He couldn't remember a time where he felt more helpless than when they were on that rock. It was _hell._

The storm had thrashed them around. Taken them far away from any people. The ships had sunk, their crews and passengers sinking to the bottom of the sea with them.

His last piece of bread, rotted with age and fungi, fell out of his shaking hands and into the ocean. He would've cried if he had any strength left.

Zeff had blood surrounding him when Sanji decided to take the geezer's leftovers.

It... it was only gold. Now they would both starve. They would starve and no one would ever find them.

He felt so helpless. So... _weak._ He could just barely stand up on his own. With the last of his strength he looked up to see a ship heading their way and tried to wave for them. So many had passed already and he could only hope that they saw them. Sanji fell over from exhaustion, muscle having been eaten by his body to keep from dying, only to have the opposite effect. His half-lidded eyes finally closed and he, finally, passed out where he laid as the ship neared the tall rock.

Sanji awoke to his stomach grumbling. That explained the nightmare coming back. He sighed and got up. He was never really in the mood to eat when he thought of those days, though he'd force himself to eat anyway if he felt his stomach rumble in hunger.

He thought of the weeks after. The excruciating pain he felt when trying to eat again. The people on the ship had no idea how to treat starvation, and neither did his nine year old self, besides just feeding them extra. The old geezer couldn't even feed himself, he had deteriorated so badly.

Luffy sneaked into the kitchen, not realizing his swirly-browed cook was already making a snack. Sanji silently watched his idiot captain sneak in as he took the food out. He grabbed extra, already knowing Luffy would want a snack, too.

Sanji smirked. He'd be lost without that glutton here, getting him to cook more than ever. He sat at the table and pushed most of the food towards his gluttonous captain as he ate his, admittedly much smaller, portion.

His captain's company was, surprisingly, comforting, even though they just sat in silence, eating. Albeit, Luffy wasn't all that silent, going on about some dream that involved meat and a giant tiger he called "The Tiger Lord", that stole his first catch or something. It was nice, Sanji, begrudingly, admitted, spending some time alone with his captain talking excitedly beside him. He forgot all about his nightmare and listened to Luffy ramble on, until they both finished eating and walked back to the men's room, falling sound asleep as soon as their heads hit their pillows.

 ** _I'll be honest, I really enjoyed this one. I still like Robin and Luffy's more, but this comes in at a close second._**

 ** _I still have that poll up if you guys are interested._**

 ** _Meiyo12: I'm so glad you do!_**

 ** _StrawHatLuffy920: Thank you! No worries, I'll be sure to have every StrawHat Pirate on here! :)_**

 ** _Thanks for reading! Hope y'all enjoyed! ^u^_**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: _Sogeking, Usopp_

 _"You're just gonna_ abandon _Merry?! Just because a few people said_ _they couldn't fix her",_ Usopp cried out, furious with his captain. He was on the verge of tears as he looked at Luffy, the captain he always thought of as a brother. _"You're gonna_ abandon _your_ friend?!"

Why did he say that to his captain? Why didn't he realize that Merry really was on her last leg? She'd been through so much with them. She went to sky island! And she got impaled at Alabasta... She was almost in two at old man Criket's place... She was eaten by Laboon and sat in his stomach for some time... She'd been through _so much_ with them and he didn't want to see it, didn't want to admit that she couldn't go much further. Usopp was so furious with Luffy for even suggesting getting a new ship, that he didn't even think of how his captain must've felt. Didn't even realize the pained look on Luffy's face as he suggested it... He was a terrible crewmate.

Usopp often wondered how Luffy could ever forgive him for what he did. Why he ever forgave him. Usopp often felt terrible for ever fighting his captain and he didn't think Luffy would forgive him. At first. Then Luffy and the rest readily welcomed him back when he swallowed his pride and apologized. He didn't feel like he deserved it.

 _ **"FIGHT**_ _ **ME,**_ _ **CAPTAIN.**_ _ **TONIGHT",**_ he remembered those words so clearly.

 _"I'm so sorry, Luffy! Please forgive me",_ he cried as they set sail. He often imagined what would've happened had Luffy not forgiven him and never stretched his arm to pull him on board. It terrified him. Never being able to sail with his precious nakama. Never being able to tell stories to Luffy and Chopper.

It _terrified_ him.

Usopp woke up, suddenly wanting to apologize to Luffy again. He didn't want to wake his sleeping captain, though, so he settled for just sitting around. He didn't think he'd be able to go back to sleep, either. Damn it, why, after two years, does he still feel so guilty over that? He sighed. What can you do? Right?

He laid his head back down. Maybe, just maybe, he'd be able to sleep. As he closed his eyes, he heard a small thump coming from the other end of the room followed by several smaller thumps coming towards him. They stopped in front of his bed and he sat up. Seeing Luffy there, he gained a small lump in his throat. Damn guilt. They settled it so long ago, why must he still feel so terrible?

Luffy just smiled at him and climbed into the bed with him. Usopp stared, trying to form words, but none of them wanted to come out. Luffy laid back, eyes closed, and Usopp didn't know what to do.

Luffy opened his eyes again and looked at the sniper with a wide smile still on his face. "We already said it before, Usopp. We forgive you. I forgive you. We were all upset, but that's all in the past. It's behind us now. Everyone here forgave you and, I'm gonna say it one more time, I forgive you, Usopp." His smiley captain never seemed the type to say that, he admitted to himself, but he felt reassured anyhow. Usopp smiled at Luffy, sleep catching up to both.

"Thanks, Luffy", Usopp whispered as his eyes closed. Luffy's signature "shishishishi", quietly echoing in his ear comfortingly as he fell into a peaceful rest.

 _ **I'm not too thrilled with how this one came out, but I couldn't think of another way for it to go. Oh well, I still hope y'all enjoy.**_

 ** _Happy Independance Day! Hope you guys are safe out there and having a great time!_**

 ** _LuffyLover: I've got nine chapters in total, at the moment. I think that'll be it, but, if, and it's a kinda big 'if,' I come up with more, I'll definitely let you guys know._**

 ** _Thanks for reading/reviewing/etc.! Hope y'all enjoy!_**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: _Cat Burglar Nami_

 _"Arlong. Arlong. Arlong! **Arlong",**_ she repeatedly yelled as she stabbed her shoulder. That damned tattoo. She hated it. She wanted it gone. She stabbed and stabbed, blood flowing freely, still repeating her tormentor's name in anguish and disgust.

* * *

 ** _"BELLEMERE",_** the two children yelled as their adoptive mother was shot. She fell to the ground, a small smile on her face at the prospect of her children being safe. Blood pooled under her, seemingly endless.

* * *

He took Nami away. He took her away from her family and her friends.

* * *

He proposed a deal.

A deal she thought he would live up to. A deal she endured for eight long years. She cried. He betrayed his word. They were stuck in his hellish world. Slaves of pirates. She wanted freedom.

He forced her to draw his maps for his ambition of creating a _"Fishman Empire"._ He wanted all of East Blue. He wanted all of every Blue.

* * *

She wanted freedom. She wanted to be free when she drew a map of the world. _Her_ map of the world. And she would kill him if she had to.

None of her attempts made a difference.

So, she kept stabbing his mark, kept yelling his name in anger and despair, kept wishing she was stronger.

She awoke and, though she was sweating a bit from the nightmare, decided to finish playing it in her head with a small smile.

When a hand, a small but strong hand, stopped her. Stopped her from hurting herself and then pulled her from her hell. Her nightmare was over and she was _free._

Nami stood from her bed with a content sigh. Luffy really came through for her and her village. Though, she knew he wasn't doing it for Cocoyashi. He did it for her, because he cares for his friends.

 _"NAMI! YOU'LL ALWAYS BE OUR FRIEND",_ she remembered his words so clearly. And, she agreed, she'd always be a Strawhat at heart.

Nami heard snores coming from outside her room. Robin was in her bed sleeping, so it wasn't her. She got up and walked out.

Seeing a certain rubber captain sitting outside in the cold, she smiled. Her rubber-brained captain never changed, and, she supposed, that wasn't such a bad thing.

Nami decided to let him sleep in her room. Only once, mind you, and he'd have to pay for sleeping in the cold. Not much, she decided, feeling a bit generous and grateful to her idiot of a captain.

* * *

 ** _Personally, I love how this one went. Except for the very end, but I still like this end more than Usopp's._**

 _ **Otaku1ife: To** **be** **honest, I can't wait to**_ **_put that one up! Thank you!_**

 **Meiyo12: _I'm so glad you do!_**

 _ **QA (guest 1):** **Imo,** **Franky's** **comes** **in** **third,** **right** **behind** **Sanji's,** **but,** **still,** **I'm so** **glad you** **enjoy these!**_

 ** _Alyssa A (guest 2): Thank you! I hope you think this one is, too! :)_**

 ** _Valkyrie Elysia: I'm so glad you think so! I hope this one is, too! ^u^_**

 ** _StrawHatLuffy920: I could try that. It does sound pretty interesting. Maybe a bonus chapter after Luffy? No clue, but I'll definitely see about it!_**

 ** _Two chapters left, guys! (The poll will still be up until I have the last chapter completed)_**

 ** _Thanks for reading/reviewing/etc.! It means a lot to me!_**

 _ **I hope y'all enjoy! ^u^**_


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: _The Pirate Hunter, Roronoa Zoro_

That small red bubble was enough to make him want to vomit, he reluctantly admitted to himself. If Luffy could handle so much more than that tiny thing, then where was he, really, in strength?

 _"That makes 2001 victories for me. You're still weak, Zoro",_ a very familiar voice reverberated in his mind. It was true, he was still too soft.

He plunged his hands into the giant, paw-shaped bubble, almost screaming in agony. He remembered the day he heard Kuina had died. He was devastated, but he still carried on; their vow, which felt broken at times, still on his shoulders.

He broke out of his thoughts as a fresh wave of pain absorbed his consciousness. It was getting so hard to think.

He was so... _weak._

When the wave died down, he remembered his first battle with Mihawk, he was weak then, too. How far has he really come since then if he couldn't even take this?

Luffy, his rubber-brained captain, was counting on him. He had to be the best swordsman in the world, no matter what. So, why did he feel so weak? Is he getting any stronger? Or is he just fooling himself?

He gritted his teeth and growled. No, he would keep getting stronger. No matter what! He would keep his promise! He won't be defeated by a little pain! He will be the greatest swordsman the world has ever known! For Luffy and for Kuina.

Zoro opened his eye and sighed. He has to get stronger. He has to.

Getting up, he left the bedroom and went to the crow's nest where he saw Usopp, trying his hardest not to fall asleep. He told Usopp to go to bed and the sniper happily complied.

Zoro grabbed his heaviest weights and started exercising. He will get stronger. He will beat Hawk-Eye Mihawk.

He was so absorbed in his training and in his thoughts, he didn't realize that Luffy had come up and sat down nearby, watching his swordsman train.

"Shi shishishi", Zoro heard, breaking his concentration. He would have accidentally almost dropped the weight as he stared at Luffy if he had been any deeper in thought.

"You're so funny, Zoro", Luffy laughed, having noticed Zoro's face was contorted in a funny way while he trained.

"When the hell'd you get in here", Zoro asked, ignoring his captain's obnoxiousness.

"Only a minute ago", Luffy replied. Zoro shrugged and got back to training. The two lapsed into a comfortable silence.

If he had to be honest with himself, Zoro found Luffy's company quite nice. It was comforting to have his captain around. After about three hours, the swordsman put his weights down and sat next to Luffy. He noticed Luffy was being awfully quiet and, when he looked over, realized his captain was sleeping. Zoro smirked. Leave it to Luffy to fall asleep while sitting in the crow's nest.

 _ **This was the hardest one to write. I think it's just hard to pinpoint what Zoro would have nightmares of, but, oh well, I tried. Still hope y'all enjoy!**_

 ** _Valkyrie Elysia: Thanks! And you guessed right! XD ^u^_**

 ** _Marky-Mark7: Ah, I didn't even notice I was pretty much repeating... Woops... Sorry about that. Since this was just to practice getting back into writing, I didn't pay much mind to how similar they were. And, don't worry about offending me. I know you're just trying to help, and thank you very much, by the way! It really means a lot to me! But, yeah, I honestly didn't even notice til I read your review. I'm a tad ashamed of myself for not noticing, but there's no changing the past, so I'll have to keep an eye on that in future stories of mine. What I plan on doing is leaving this story (I've grown a bit fond of it) up and making a new version someday, so that way there will be the original and a new one that won't be redundant. So that seems like a win-win, in my book. Thank you again! This really helps!_**

 ** _Thanks for reading/reviewing/etc! Hope y'all enjoy! ^u^_**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: _Strawhat, Monkey D. Luffy_

Zoro disappeared as Kuma smacked the wounded swordsman. _"ZOROOO!"_

 _"BROOK!"_ He was sent away by the Bear Warlord.

 _"Usopp",_ Luffy cried, tears streaming down his face, pleading for it all to just stop.

 _"Sanji! Stop! Sanji!"_ Away Sanji flew, no longer visible to the remaining Strawhats, as Luffy cried.

 _"Franky!"_ Luffy was desperately pleading for everything to just stop. He attacked Kuma, but was sent flying.

 _"Luffy. Help m-"_ Nami disappeared. _"NAMI!"_

 _"CHOPPER!"_ The small reindeer, now turned monster, disappeared with a single swish of Kuma's paw-like hand.

He ran for his last friend as fast as he could manage. _"ROBIIIINN!" "Luffy!"_ She disappeared.

 _"I couldn't even save a single one of my friends",_ Luffy sobbed. Kuma was above him now.

He disappeared.

" _I'm... so sorry... Luffy",_ played in his head, echoing in his subconscious mind. He started to hyperventilate. No. No. No. No. No! _Nonononononononono! NO! ACE!_ This couldn't be happening. No, he couldn't... Not again.

Akainu's fist ripping through his big brother's chest. Ace falling. The vivre card burning away with Ace's last breaths. His friends disappearing one by one. It all kept repeating over and over and over again. His message to his captain and crewmates. His tears falling on Luffy's shoulder. Luffy shouting for each and every one. Ace, Zoro, Brook, Usopp, Sanji, Franky, Nami, Chopper, Robin.

Luffy was devastated. His mind kept replaying the scenes for him and he wanted it to end. To end and stop reminding him of his losses and his failures. To stop reminding him... of Ace. Ace when he was vulnerable. When he apologized for not letting Luffy save him. Ace _crying._

Ace broke his promise to Luffy. He said he wouldn't... he _PROMISED_ HE WOULDN'T DIE! HE PROMISED HE WOULDN'T LEAVE LUFFY ALL _ALONE!_ He promised and then he went and saved him, like the stupid big brother he was.

Luffy didn't want to see this anymore, it was torture! Hearing Ace call his name in alarm, seeing him impaled by Akainu's magma fist. Again and again and again! Luffy couldn't take it. He couldn't. He just couldn't take seeing his big brother, his light, die.

Tears flowed freely from his eyes. Ace, that stupid big brother of his, just had to step in front of it! Damn it all! Damn it. Damn it. _DAMN IT! ACE!_

 _"I couldn't even save a single one of my friends."_

" _ **I couldn't even save a single one of my friends."**_

 **"I couldn't even save a single one of my friends."**

It kept repeating along with the horrible memories he wished to forget.

 _"I'm... I'm... I'm WEAK", he yelled with a cry._

 _"Ace..."_ Luffy awoke with a start, whispering his name. He realized he had tears falling down his cheeks and wiped them away as he sat up. His crew was still asleep, luckily. He smiled at his crew. He couldn't have asked for better friends. He was thankful he didn't lose them for good either.

Even though they don't realize it all the time, they make him feel so much better just by being there. They filled that lonely hole in his heart. He smiled softly again and got out of bed.

He walked outside, not noticing the bright-blue eyes that watched him. The nice breeze he felt on his rubbery face dried some of the sweat that had collected while he slept. And he relaxed a bit.

Ace... Luffy sighed and put a hand to his scarred chest, he missed Ace so much. He looked at the sea for a moment; he and Ace had so many great adventures while together and while separated. He smiled sadly.

He climbed onto Sunny's flower-like head and sat there for sometime. Ace was his light for so long. He shone like the sun. He guessed that every light had to fade at some point, though, and he accepted that small fact. Not that he liked it.

Luffy stared at the stars, longing for days that had already passed. He knew it was silly, childish even, but he couldn't help himself. It'd only been two years, so of course he would still long to see his big brother. He put his hand to the large scar on his chest again with a sad look on his young (too young) face.

The world was cruel and Ace deserved so much better than what he was given.

Soon, he heard shuffling and felt his friends walk out of their rooms and sit behind or near him. They had his back. No matter how broken or weak he was at times, they had his back. And that meant everything to the too tired captain.

He knew he could trust them with anything. Luffy wanted to cry, he admitted to himself, but, instead, he smiled wide as the morning sun came up. It was the start of a new day and he would make sure that it'd be a great one. Ace wouldn't rest easy if he didn't, and neither would he.

With that signature smile still on his face and the sun rising on the horizon, illuminating the small crew, Luffy happily yelled, _"LET'S GO!"_ with his fists in the air, ready for whatever came next, and his crew smiled proudly at him.

 **Fin**

* * *

 _ **Thanks for reading!**_

 _ **StrawHatLuffy920: I will! No worries! ^u^**_

 _ **Otaku1ife: I love that type, too! No problem! :)**_

 _ **SonWuKong66: I think I'm gonna put those into the revised version, but I'll definitely put them in!**_

 _ **Hope y'all enjoy this as much as I did! (Next week will be the bonus chapter with Trafalgar Law. Hopefully I can get him right, I've never written for him before. If you guys have anyone else you wanna see, just let me know! ^u^)**_


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: _The Surgeon Of Death, Trafalgar D. Water Law_

Their skin was turning white and splotchy. Law didn't know what to make of it, only that it was an illness they didn't know how to cure... And that he was _scared._ A tiny child losing his entire home to a form of lead poisoning. He couldn't think straight, everything was spinning.

Lami.

Mother.

Father.

Everyone was dying. Lami was so young, _too young,_ for such a painful death.

Everything started spinning again and he found himself in a chest. Cora-san was outside. This was when Cora-san had died, he numbly realized. Law beat his small fists against the wall of the chest, even with knowing that Cora-san had made him silent. He kept losing people! Why?! Why did this always happen?! He doesn't want to be alone anymore, but he closes himself off anyway to save him the pain of more loved ones dying. Cora-san, Lami, neither one deserved the deaths they were given and he hated himself for being so... so _useless._ He couldn't do _anything_ to save them! He might as well have been the one who killed them...

Law awoke, the faint memory of his dream playing behind his eyelids. He wasn't entirely sure why, but he suddenly had the urge to talk to his new _'aquaintances'._ He squashed the feeling. He barely knew the Strawhats, what made him think it'd be a great idea to have a heart to heart with them? He sighed to himself and got up. Coffee didn't sound like a bad idea, at least.

He sat in the kitchen, coffee in hand. The cook wasn't up yet and he didn't plan on bothering with getting him, so he made it himself. Asking for peace and quiet on the Thousand Sunny was like asking the clouds to stay away forever, though, as Strawhat himself had made his presence known. Apparently, he was looking for a midnight snack, Law wasn't sure nor was he particularly interested.

The obnoxious captain sat in front of Law, his signature grin on his face as he shoveled the stolen food into his gaping maw. Law was a bit disturbed when he first saw the rubber man eat, but the feeling faded by dinner time the same day. Law noticed a small portion had been pushed over to him by his over enthusiastic companion and pushed it back. He wasn't all too hungry, just his coffee was fine at the moment. Strawhat shrugged a bit dejectedly and ate the remainder of the _'snack'._

After several moments passed, Law realized that he wasn't going back to bed. It was a bit off putting as he had hoped to be alone, but he hadn't yet decided if he cared or not when Strawhat's head slammed on the table with snores vibrating through the wood. The captain of the Heart Pirates didn't think he'd ever get used to Strawhat's mysterious ways. So far, he was right. It's quite weird to see his rival-turned-ally sleeping on a table with no care in the world.

He finally decided he didn't mind the company too much _(aslong as he's quiet right now)_ as he sipped his coffee, a bit of amusement making the corners of his lips perk up.

 ** _This ended up being more of bonding than comforting... Woops XD I hope I did Law justice, though (puns! Lmao). I've never written for him (or many_** ** _others) before,_** ** _so I hope_** ** _this is to_** ** _y'all's_** ** _liking! Thanks_** ** _for_** ** _reading!_**

 ** _Otaku1if : Oh my goodness! Thank you! *hands tissue* ^u^_**

 ** _StrawHatLuffy920 : No problem! I hope you enjoy!_**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: _The Pirate Empress, Boa Hancock_

 _Those monsters. Those government monsters. They wouldn't leave her alone. Her sisters were always scared and she was the same._

Men. The word felt like needles on her tongue. She hated them. Feared them. Possibly more than they feared her. Her status as Pirate Empress was the only thing that kept her and her people safe from them.

Men only took what they wanted. Whatever they desired. She and her sisters just happened to be one of those things. And she loathed them for it. The greedy noblemen. The corrupt government that listened to the rich and oppressed the poor. That allowed the nobles the ability to enslave and torture innocent people. Children.

This wasn't just her nightmare. It was her reality. It was her secret, her burden to carry. This symbol, horrid and terrifying as it was, would never fade. It was her reminder of the cruelties this world was capable of. Of the terror she faced the very first time she met a man.

She opened her eyes as she sighed. Her thoughts were going rampant. The Pirate Empress didn't even realize her eyes were closed as she thought of her past. She looked up towards the ceiling with a small smile, thinking of, as it hard as it was to believe, the one man she actually loved. Someone kind and charming. And a real glutton. Monkey D. Luffy.

Hancock was en route to Rusukaina to bring him to Sabaody Archipelago. She was more than excited, if she was being honest with herself. Even her crew could tell how excited she was to see Luffy and have him on her ship.

They set anchor near the snowy shore of Rusukaina. Luffy and Rayleigh were standing, the former happily waving at the ship of women, with three large, brightly colored beasts sitting behind them. The pirate teen left to grab his hat as Hancock stepped ashore, excited to see all of his friends again after two years.

She smiled as he returned, her negative thoughts slowly going to the back of her mind. He smiled back and she was feeling much better than when she was on the ship. ' _It's going to be a nice day_ ', she thought to herself with a smile.

* * *

 _ **This is kinda short, but it's been a while since I've written a one shot, tbh. I'm kinda happy and kinda disappointed with this. Happy, because I finally wrote again and it isn't too bad. Disappointed, because it's not my greatest and I haven't written in a while. Lol!**_

 _ **Anyway, thank you all for the reviews and favorites, even though I kinda left you high and dry on all my stories.**_

 _ **Speaking of, I'm rewriting several. It's going to take a while, but I think they'll end up better for it.**_

 ** _There'll be four more chapters coming (not right now, but soon) for this, then it'll be completely over._**

 ** _Thank you for reading!_**


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